He first saw the light of day in Costa Rica, first donned football pads in Montreal and first played the game for money in Toronto.

Julian Feoli-Gudino hopes the next first comes in Winnipeg.

A 26-year-old who starred as a receiver and kick returner at Laval University, Feoli-Gudino never got a chance to play anything but special teams the last two years with the Argonauts.

So you can imagine how he felt when he hauled in a 23-yard grab of a Drew Willy pass as a starting member of the Blue Bomber offence against the Argos, Monday.

“Pretty cool,” is how Feoli-Gudino described it. “I played against Toronto and making that first catch against them on first down, that was pretty nice. Definitely I’m pumped about it... there’s practice and there’s games. At one point you’ve got to make the plays in the game.”

Feoli-Gudino has been one of the surprises of training camp, latching onto nearly everything thrown his way.

With Cory Watson nursing a hamstring injury, he’s been getting plenty of chances. And with the Bombers desperate for a Canadian starter to stand up and be counted, he may get exactly what he bargained for when he took GM Kyle Walters’ offer as a free agent in January.

“He just told me they play two Canadian receivers and to look at the depth chart,” Feoli-Gudino said. “And he told me they definitely needed a guy to play special teams, so from there I felt pretty confident in the decision to come here.”

Preparation, meet opportunity.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity,” Mike O’Shea, his old special teams coach in Toronto said. “There is that third spot, behind Rory (Kohlert) and Cory Watson that is up for grabs.

“He’s got to search for the perfect game, assignment-wise. Then whether the ball comes to him or not, it’s hard to take him off.”

It was easy for Feoli-Gudino to leave Toronto, though. Especially after he heard O’Shea was going to become Winnipeg’s head coach.

You never forget the coach that helped you become a pro, and O’Shea was the one who helped turn a skill player into someone who can grind in kick coverage.

“He taught me everything on special teams, actually,” Feoli-Gudino said. “We did a lot of film together and he taught me a lot of tricks a pro player needs to know.”

Unheralded Feoli-Gudino one of the big surprises of Blue Bombers training camp

He first saw the light of day in Costa Rica, first donned football pads in Montreal and got his first job as a pro in Toronto.

Julian Feoli-Gudino hopes the next first comes in Winnipeg.

A 26-year-old who starred as a receiver and kick returner at Laval University, Feoli-Gudino never got a chance to play anything but special teams the last two years with the Argonauts.

Here, he’s been one of the surprises of training camp, latching onto nearly everything thrown his way — including a 23-yard grab of a Drew Willy pass on the Bombers’ second offensive play against his old team, Monday.

“Pretty cool,” is how Feoli-Gudino described the game. “I played against Toronto and making that first catch against them on first down, that was pretty nice. Definitely I’m pumped about it... there’s practice and there’s games. At one point you’ve got to make the plays in the game.”

With Cory Watson nursing a hamstring injury, Feoli-Gudino has been getting plenty of chances